The use of computer systems and computer-related technologies continues to increase at a rapid pace. This increased use of computer systems has influenced the advances made to computer-related technologies. Indeed, computer systems have increasingly become an integral part of the business world and the activities of individual consumers. Computer systems may be used to carry out several business, industry, and academic endeavors. The wide-spread use of computers has been accelerated by the increased use of computer networks, including the Internet.
Many businesses use one or more computer networks to communicate and share data between the various computers connected to the networks. The productivity and efficiency of employees often requires human and computer interaction. Users of computer technologies continue to demand that the efficiency of these technologies increase. Improving the efficiency of computer technologies is important to anyone that uses and relies on computers.
Data stored on a computing device may become corrupted and inaccessible. A backup of the data may be performed in order to restore the data in the event the data becomes corrupted and inaccessible. A backup refers to making copies of the data. These copies of data may be used to restore the original data after a data loss event. Backups may be useful for many purposes. For example, backups may restore data following a disaster. This may be referred to as disaster recovery. In addition, backups may restore a small number of files that have been accidentally deleted or corrupted.
Because a system that backs up data includes at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage requirements may be considerable. Organizing the data storage space and managing the backup process may be a complicated and time consuming undertaking. As a result, benefits may be realized by providing system and methods for managing data in cloud storage using deduplication techniques.